Alonso’s move marks a new low in relations between himself and Hamilton and the wider McLaren team.

There have been rumours throughout the season of Alonso’s unhappiness. During the United States Grand Prix, after a failed overtaking attempt on Hamilton, Alonso drove up to the pit wall and gesticulated to make his unhappiness clear.

Several reports have appeared in the Spanish press claiming that Alonso wants more preferential treatment over Hamilton.

Today’s incident might have been triggered by an earlier problem Alonso had while taking on new tyres. The team held him stationary for a long time, presumably to give him a more favourable track position.

But the delay was lengthened when the team realised the cord from a wheel blanket was tangled up around the front-right wheel. Perhaps Alonso felt that as this cost him a lap’s worth of fuel, Hamilton ‘deserved’ a similar inconvenience.

He might not have done it at all were not McLaren apparently at a great advantage this weekend. Kimi Raikkonen was beaten to third by Nick Heidfeld, and Felipe Massa will start 14th after technical problems.

The Hungaroring seems to bring out the worst in Alonso (as well as the best). It was here last year that he was penalised for unduly slowing Robert Doornbos during practice.

Alonso was penalised for delaying Felipe Massa in qualifying for last year’s Italian Grand Prix. The decision was widely criticised, as the Ferrari driver was over 90m behind Alonso at all times.

He later told the press “I no longer consider F1 a sport.” But his move today was anything but sporting. It’s comparable to Michael Schumacher’s stunt at Monaco last year – and may yet carry a similar penalty.

It’s not the first time McLaren have had to deal with an irate driver after a pit stop delay caused by the other.

At last year’s Australian Grand Prix Juan Pablo Montoya was left fuming after the team left him waiting behind team mate Kimi Raikkonen as they changed the Finn’s front wing during a safety car period. Montoya left the team halfway through the year.

What will the consequences be for Alonso? If the stewards don’t have anything to say about it, Ron Dennis surely will. I expect the Spaniard’s ears are ringing even as I write this.

Will Alonso leave McLaren? Might he even quit before the end of the season? Will they suspend him and put Pedro de la Rosa in the car?

What if Alonso has broken the terms of his McLaren contract? If he has, the drivers’ market for 2008 could come to life.

Update: The FIA is investigating the incident and has called upon McLaren’s Ron Dennis to provide information and hand over the team’s radio transmissions.

Update 2: Alonso has claimed that Hamilton also failed to obey an order from McLaren – to let Alonso through at the start of the qualifying session: “They told Hamilton what to do and he didn’t listen. That was the only problem the team had. Ron’s anger was because [Hamilton] didn’t accept an order that the team repeated several times over the first lap.

Therefore, the team did all they had to do, and tried to give me that extra lap, but for those reasons it wasn’t possible. I’ve been asked about Ron throwing his headphones, about how he went after Fabrizio [Alonso’s physiotherapist], or whatever. I have nothing against him. I was going to have an extra lap of fuel, and I didn’t have it, but in the end I got pole.”

40 comments on Video: Alonso’s dirty trick on Hamilton (updated)

Yikes, yikes, yikes. Alonso will definitely have an internal punishment at McLaren, perhaps having to give way to Hamilton at Turn 1.

As for an FIA penalty, I’m not so sure. Doesn’t McLaren have to file a protest for the FIA to investigate? If they do, Alonso will get no penalty, for sure. But if the FIA doesn’t need a filed protest, Alonso may get a pretty harsh penalty.

I used to admire Alonso and was pleased he had joined McLaren. Now I am not too sure.

He has not taken the fact that Lewis has started so well and in most cases has had the measure of him. Today’s conduct will not endear him to the British Public and I can see headlines in the gutter press tomorrow along the lines of the Winker headlines folowing Ronaldo’s success at getting Wayne Rooney sent off.

I’m all for competition, mind games and taking the racing line. Once you cross into dirty and cheap tactics, it signals a desperate man and hopefully the end of his tenure at McLaren at the end of the year for not demonstrating he can be a team player.

What I don’t get is Alonso doesn’t need to resort to such measures… atleast not with 7 races remaining! The guy won 2 championships patiently… Frankly I hope for Alonso, Lewis and the sake of rest of Mc Laren it was just a mistimed stop.

Why you are guyâ€™s surprised about Alonsoâ€™s attitude? Have you already forgotten when he used to loose races against Schumacher (last year)? He used to cry like a baby. What about when he wins, oh well, thatâ€™s another story, he becomes close to arrogant. Remember his un-sporty attitude against Massa at his last race ?

If anything, we now have an established hero-villain thing going for the 2007 championship: Lewis Hamilton, the British hero, the supposed hero, a young David who wants to prove a point, against the Goliath, Fernando Alonso, the (not-so) mustached villain who wants to keep a grip on his F1 championship reign.

Sure, it’s exaggerated, but that’s how many F1 fans will see it (and how the British press will portray it).

I can’t see them switching places on the first lap to be honest. If they did, it would be an easy call for Ferrari to claim team orders and it would significantly increase the exposure on the team’s problems. I expect that is the last thing Ron wants.

Forget all the stuff about mis-timed pit stops. Alonso knew exactly what he was doing. He timed it to perfection. I hope the FIA can punish him without needing a protest from McLaren, but I doubt it. Ron Dennis was obviously furious….maybe he will order Alonso to give way to Hamilton at turn 1, or even arrange for Hamilton to pass during the first pit stop. As a fan of McLaren and both these drivers, I have been sickened by Alonso’s actions today.

Alonso needs to grow up and learn like massa told him but on is display at Hungagoring today he really sunk to the murky depths and in my opinion can only tarnish sport and F1 and should be punished by Mclaren,i have read his statement regarding going when told but the lollipop man had cleared him ages. If i watch tomorrow i shall hope he fails to finish.

Fire his ass. The fact that Lewis outclassed him all season is his own doing, not the teams. And by the way, congratulations to Lewis for keeping his composure in the press conference. If that was me I would be wolloping Alonso with the mic, the orange juice decanter and whatever else within reach. Fire his ass.

Before today I was beginning to doubt whether Alonso knew exactly how to deal with his precocious teammate. His actions at his final pit stop leave me more reassured â€“ especially the rumours that his personal trainer was involved which make it premeditated. Today to me he demonstrated that he is not just prepared to be a bit-part-player in the Lewis Hamilton story.

Alonso must realise that the status quo cannot continue. He needs to remove Hamilton from his comfort-zone. The job that Hamilton has done this season is clear for everyone to see. What Fernando must hope is that he cannot continue to perform to this level under pressure.

Even if the FIA chooses to penalise the Spaniard it will not be the end of the world to him. Has he realised that starting a war within his own team, might just be the way to put pressure on Hamilton? Will the Brit perform in the same ultra-cool manner that has served him so well thus far?

If Alonso knows that Hamilton is at least as quick as him, it is surely worth the gamble.

For me the most impressive thing for me today was how Alonso dealt with the situation on his pole lap. He knew what he had done, and yet still got his head in the right place to deliver the goods. Had he not done, he would have looked stupid. That is dealing with pressure.